We Will Always Be Together
by ShinyCDiver
Summary: This is an AU off of what happens in Eternal. It could be read as a stand-alone story but it will make more sense if Eternal is read first. Muse has reincarnated as a whole for their second chance at being idols. This will mostly follow the plot of the anime, but with the results of a future set after Eternal. First chapter is basically introducing the characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Regarding the last game: I will be honest right now that I hadn't listened to Rin's Kokoro at the time I was writing Eternal, so I picked on the song I had listened to before starting to write the story. I have sent a message to the first person who got it right, and the request one-shot should be released soon.**

**As Eternal drew to a close, I wondered what would happen if the girls did meet again. So I decided to write this story, which has no title as of yet, much like Eternal when it was first introduced. Their last names are not mentioned, as they have not descended the same way as the original anime girls. Additionally, I have changed their families around a bit, basing it off of what happened by the end of Eternal. My plan so far would be to follow the plot of the anime, with the quirks that resulted of reincarnating from Eternal. If you have any other ideas for what the girls could do, or if you don't like this idea at all, please leave a review with your comment.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live.**

* * *

The nine teenaged girls gathered backstage for one final get-together before they headed on stage for their greatest-and last-performance. Even though they had rehearsed and prepared for this one moment their lives, they were still nervous. Something in them told them that it could all either end up badly, or be the best thing they would ever accomplish. One of the teens took a deep breath and made a victory sign with her right hand before lowering it into the center of the huddle. One by one, the other teens followed suit until they made a nine pointed star with their fingers.

"Everyone, ready?! One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Muse…Second Live…Start!"

* * *

As the end of the class bell rang, Honoka swiftly packed her bag with the things she would need for her homework later.

"I'm surprised you didn't fall asleep today, Honoka." Her friend commented from the next seat over, also packing up her things.

"Well, I find learning about robotics very interesting, Umi-chan." Honoka said, matter-of-factly. "After all, the person who invented the first android was the person I was named for."

"You do seem to excel in this class alone…" Umi said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Honoka frowned at her and Umi smiled. "I was just testing you!"

"Hey, Honoka-chan, Umi-chan! Let's go to the club room!" Their third friend came over excitedly.

"Sure, Kotori." Umi grabbed her bag and hefted it over her shoulder. "Let's go, Honoka." Honoka nodded and did the same, following Umi and Kotori to their club room. Honoka sometimes wondered how come she was so good at their robotics classes when her grades were barely average in the other classes. But she often couldn't give it much thought, especially when all of her friends were waiting for her to give them something fun to do.

"Wait, Kotori-chan, don't you have archery practice today?" Honoka asked. Even if she wanted to have fun, Kotori should be allowed to participate in a club that was actually active.

"Nah, today's an off-day!~" Kotori said cheerfully. "Now c'mon! Let's go!" She took a hold of Honoka's hand and pulled.

"What about Umi-chan? Does your mom want you to do something?" Sometimes, Umi's mother, the chairwoman of the school they attended, would require assistance from her daughter. Umi shook her head.

"She's fine. Hey, Honoka, what about you?" Honoka thought about it. Her parents did own a ramen and rice shop that had been in their family for almost a century now, but she didn't think they would need help. They usually called her if they needed any sort of assistance.

"I think I'm fine." Honoka responded.

"Then there's no worries. Let's go before they start having fun without us!" Her two friends started running down the hall to the club room and Honoka had no choice but to follow. The 'no running' sign on the wall was nearly torn off from the passing of all three girls.

The sign above the door read 'Idol Research Club' but they, the nine members of the club, rarely did anything that actually involved researching idols. Or rather, they rarely did anything close what idols did. Honoka had been the one to take over the club when her older sister, Yukiho, was preparing to graduate. The presidency had been handed over to one of her other friends, so she was free to lead them in daily 'missions' that had more to do with fun than anything else. Once in a while, they would practice their routines, but for the most part they were all excellent in dancing and singing, despite the fact that none of them had ever taken a dance class before.

"So what's our mission today, nya!?" Rin, one of the most energetic members in the club, enjoyed going on missions more than any of the others. She was bouncing up and down excitedly behind Hanayo, her best friend. They were as close as childhood friends, despite having met each other only a few years ago.

"I haven't decided yet." Honoka responded, setting her bag down on the table. "Any suggestions?"

"I want to go to a restaurant!" Maki immediately shouted, standing up and raising her hand above her head. Honoka stifled a giggle. Maki had been one of her first friends and they'd known each other since childhood. Honoka did understand why Maki wanted to go to a restaurant. Her family was the poorest of the nine, so she couldn't be picky about what she ate, which was mostly instant ramen or the like.

"I'll take you to my place later. You can have dinner there, if you want." Honoka offered.

"R-Really?!" As always when she was offered free food, Maki had trouble believing that the food would be for her alone. "But-"

"And I'll make enough so you can take it home for your parents too." Honoka said quickly, already knowing how Maki's mind worked. The red-head was in no way selfish, and she never accepted food unless there was enough to be taken home for her hard-working parents. Maki nodded and sat back down, satisfied. "In fact, why don't we just go hang out at the park or something today, and then you can all come to my place to eat later?" Honoka asked.

"I'll have to call my parents first." Nozomi said immediately. She pulled out her phone and motioned to the hallway. Honoka nodded and the purple-haired third year left the room, dialing her parent's number. Honoka knew that Nozomi's parents were over-protective of their daughter. They had to meet each of her friends and their parents before she was allowed to even play with them. Even now, Nozomi still needed to call her parents for things as small as eating out with her friends. The only one they truly trusted was Eri, only because her parents were well respected doctors and she was the Student Council President, so their sleepovers were often held at Eri's house.

Honoka had met Eri through their older sisters, Arisa and Yukiho, both of whom were in their first-year of college. They had both been lonely and wanting friends when their siblings started school, so the parents arranged a play date. Along with Maki, the three of them had been inseparable, even until now. The president of the Idol Research Club, Niko, was also pretty well off, though not as rich as Eri was. She was also the youngest of four. Her older three siblings were already working at jobs, so her mother had already retired. Niko looked forward to joining her siblings in their clothing line business, one that started a little after the restaurant that Honoka's family ran opened.

"They say I can go as long as Eri-chi is coming!" Nozomi came bouncing back into the room.

"Then let's go! Mission for today: Have as much fun as you can!" Honoka shouted, pumping her fist into the air. Eight other hands rose to join her in a collective cheer.

* * *

She would continue to watch over those nine. They wouldn't know she was there, but as long as they were happy, she was content. After all, she owed it to them, the people who created her. Even though she no longer had a name nor body, she would watch over them for eternity. It was the only thing an artificial life like her could give them. For now, they seemed happy with their lot. She would watch and make sure that which happened before would never happen again.

* * *

**If you can recognize the parts that are brought from Eternal, awesome! Also, if you can tell who the person speaking above is, you get an internet cookie! (because I still have a request I need to write so no one-shot reward this time. Sorry guys.) So, yeah. If you think this idea should continue, please leave a review. I would also appreciate it if you could volunteer names for this fanfiction, should it continue.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Review Responses**

KevinCruelz: Yes, this happens after Eternal. The time between the events isn't specified though.

Msmusicful: You get a free cookie! But I don't think I'm going to mix up the shippings.

Nexus Infinity: Technically, she did already get a cameo.

Revengermajestyliberator: I mixed it all up to make it different from the original anime while still using the same characters.

Enya Talisman: They are all reincarnations of the girls in Eternal, and you will see exactly how similar they are in the coming chapters.

anto34: I like your story title so I'm going to make it the title of this Fanfiction. My Spanish is still not that good so I hope that I get it right.

**To explain their backgrounds:**

**Honoka's family runs a ramen and rice shop which has been passed down through the family. When Honoka turns 23, the shop would reach its 100****th**** anniversary. All of this points to Honoka being descended from Rin and Hanayo, the first ones.**

**Umi and Kotori have switched roles, with Kotori being the daughter of a family run dojo while Umi is the chairwoman's daughter.**

**Eri continued in her own family line as she is next in line for inheriting the hospital again.**

**Niko's family runs a clothing line that is also approaching its 100****th**** anniversary. In Eternal, Umi and Kotori opened their own clothing line. Niko is reborn from Umi and Kotori's descendants.**

**Maki's family is poor, but a few generations back was a beautiful model. However, the generation right afterwards was wasteful with the money and it left Maki's family poor.**

**Nozomi's parents are overprotective because she is their only daughter. They would never dream of leaving her to live alone in an apartment.**

**Rin and Hanayo are the same as before, only difference is that they were raised further away from each other's homes, leading them to not meet until junior high when they went to the same school.**

**Hoping this makes a bit more sense now.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.**

**Warning: Slight feels ahead. Maybe.**

* * *

"Want to do a dream share?" Nozomi was the one who asked. The nine members of the Idol Research Club were seated in a circle on the grass, currently trying to come up with an idea to have fun.

"That sounds good! Eri-chan, do you have your tarot cards?" Despite being the next head of a hospital, Eri had a strange fondness for spiritual things, and she had received a pack of tarot cards from her parents once. They were pretty old but looked well-cared for, so Eri often wondered who the previous owner was.

"Of course I do." Eri replied matter-of-factly, taking the cards out from her bag. "Here they are, but what do we need them for?"

"To interpret our dreams?" Umi asked, staring straight at Honoka.

"Well, I thought…that we needed tarot cards to interpret our dreams. Isn't that right?"

"Not really…but I can do readings for you later on." Eri said, holding the deck in her hands to prevent it from getting dirty on the grass. "Now, who wants to start?" Maki raised her hand at the same time as Niko did.

"Niko-chan can go first." The red-head said immediately. Niko nodded and turned her attention to the rest of the circle.

"It's really weird and I don't remember a lot of the details, but my garage turned into a mountain in my dream." Niko said, proceeding to describe how the mountain looked. It had rose high enough to pierce the lower clouds, with lots of greenery and a waterfall running down the side. "And then me and my siblings went hang-gliding off of it. Next thing I know, I'm hang-gliding through Italy. For some reason, Italy was very detailed in my dream, as if I had been there before. And then I woke up without ever landing."

"What do you think, Eri?" Niko turned to Eri and asked her that question.

"Hm…I don't think it's anything of importance…but maybe Italy was a memory of a past life?" Eri suggested. Sometimes Niko wondered why Eri was even the Student Council President. Then again, Honoka had set it all up for Eri to become the President as part of a joke. So the normally serious Nozomi had to be placed in the Vice President position to keep Eri in check.

"Maybe." Niko said, mostly to humor Eri.

"My turn now?" Maki asked. Honoka nodded so the red-head took a deep breath. "I've been having recurring nightmares." Eri looked interested, since recurring dreams meant that the subconscious was trying very hard to get a message across. "It would start out okay, I mean, I'm just walking through the city like normal. Except the buildings are not like now, they were from before the Technological Revolution." The girls nodded, having seen pictures of Tokyo from before influx of technology occurred, starting with the building of the first android. "So I was walking. I was texting one of you, though the contact name changed each time the dream happened. But the thing that never changes is how the rest of the nightmare plays out. I would stop at a crosswalk and look at the light across from me. It would flash white, signaling me to walk. And then I walked, my head down to look at the new message that came. I would start to type. Then there would be a loud sound, like a lot of people screaming at once, along with the screeching of tires? I don't know, but the next thing I know, I'm lying in a pool of warm liquid. It's my own blood. I lay there dying, wishing I could have finished my message. As the blackness overwhelms me, I wake up." Honoka shivered, even though it was a warm day. She alluded it to the bleakness of the dream Maki had just described.

"Maybe it's how you died in your previous life." Eri said thoughtfully. Nozomi jabbed her in the ribs. "S-Sorry!"

"Maybe…it's possible." Maki said, biting her lower lip, like she always did when she was nervous.

"Well, we won't let you go that easily! There's no way that's happening, ever!" Honoka said confidently.

"Plus, we don't have cars like that anymore." Niko said. "So don't worry about it, okay?" Maki nodded, looking more confident with her friend's support.

"Then me next nya!" Rin said cheerfully despite the horror of Maki's nightmare. "This was scary nya. I was walking in my backyard and it was night time. I couldn't see anything, because the clouds covered up the moon's light." Eri gulped. She wasn't very good with dark places. Across from Eri, Umi looked like she was on the brink of fainting. Maki's dream hadn't fazed her as much, but Rin was setting up for what could be a scary story. "And then…the trash cans started rolling towards me. Their lids opened and they had sharp teeth nya! It was so scary that I turned and ran. Then I woke up!" Eri was about to respond, probably with more past life inferences, but before she could do so, Nozomi tied a gag around her friend's mouth. As Eri looked at her unhappily, Nozomi shrugged it off.

"I'll go now." Nozomi said. "You know the old movie Big Hero Six?" The girls nodded and Nozomi continued. "I had a dream that we were all doing a parody of the movie, along with Arisa-senpai and Yukiho-senpai and some other girls. Except that the senpais were younger than us? So we were filming, and I think I was playing Hiro. Eri-chi was playing Tadashi for the movie, and we were filming the part where Tadashi dies, right?" She paused to see if everyone was still following her. Kotori motioned for her to continue with her dream. "Then…Eri-chi runs through the green screen that was the set for the college. An explosion occurs and the green screen goes up in flames. I want to run forward but Niko-chi, Umi-chan, and Rin-chan all hold me back. I wake up screaming Eri-chi's name." Nozomi finished up. Eri looked at her with wide eyes, unable to say anything because of the gag. Honoka wished the two of them would already admit their love for each other. She didn't need a sense of spiritualism to know the two were meant for each other. "I might as well let you go next, Eri-chi." Nozomi untied the gag.

"So we were at a beach, all nine of us. I was playing life guard while all of you were having fun. For some reason, I only knew CPR though, not any of the other emergency life-saving practices that I should have known. But while we were there, Nozomi fell off her float out over the open ocean and started to drown. I was so scared but my priority was to rescue you. I swam out with Umi and Rin to where Niko was already diving down to rescue you. But I woke up before I saved you, so I don't know if you lived or died." Eri said, tying the gag back in place to stop herself from speaking anymore. Nozomi took Eri's hand in her own and the blonde didn't pull away. Honoka really wondered how long it would take them to admit they liked each other already. Then again, why was everyone either dying or running for their lives in their dreams? With the exception of Niko's dream, though the bit about Italy was slightly weird.

"I had a dream where I had gone to another dimension to escape the harsh reality. I met Rin-chan there, and Maki-chan too. Everyone else came eventually, but we weren't safe there. These men came, after Rin-chan and the others. I remember that Honoka-chan, Eri-chan, and I risked our lives to save everyone but I'm not sure about what happened afterwards." Hanayo recounted her own dream.

"In my dream, I was about to leave everyone behind to study abroad. I wanted to go, but I didn't want to go at the same time. I kept waiting for someone to come and stop me, even when I was at the airport. No one ever came and so I left Japan to go and live in a country where I didn't know the language or customs. I felt so alone when I woke up so I called Umi-chan immediately." Kotori looked at Umi with a small smile.

"I had a dream where I was disconnected from everyone, especially you Honoka." Honoka looked at Umi in surprise. "You were doing something that I didn't approve of but I never tried to understand why you were doing it. I just turned away from you, and I took Kotori with me. We never built our relationship back up after that, because just before I woke up, you died. That much, I know." Umi looked down-hearted, with all the talk about loneliness and deaths that were in their dreams.

"Well, in my dream, we saved Otonokizaka from being closed down because we became school idols! Even though there were hardships along the way, we all managed to pull through because we trusted each other and believed in each other and never let each other down! So even if we dream of bad things that we did to each other, or if we see each other's death or even our own, those are just dreams! We're still here now, alive and together!" Honoka shouted, wanting her voice to clear away all the dark thoughts that were whirling around in her friends' heads. This is why she had become the leader, so she could lead them when they were lost and confused. She decided to change the subject. "And since it's getting pretty late, how about we go and eat now?"

She got her responses, although they were a bit lower in energy than normal. But that was to be expected, Honoka thought, since they all had vivid dreams of confusing events.

Impossible. That was the word used by the entity who allowed the girls to live again. But she, now the subordinate of the entity, knew better than to label something as impossible. Her boss considered the retrieval of past memories an impossible task for normal human children. She knew better. If she, an artificial existence, was able to keep the love she held for the nine alive without a heart, then those girls were capable of things beyond the realm of what was possible. Maybe one day, she would be able to talk to them again. If the time came, she would call herself Hibiki, to remind herself of what she was.

* * *

**I've actually had a dream where my garage turned into a mountain and then my brother and I hang-glided off it. We did end up in Italy, though like Niko, I have never been there. I also had a dream were I was chased by trash cans. It was pretty scary. They were trying to eat me or something...**

**Translation: Hibiki-Echo.**

**Leave a review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Review Responses**

**Since a lot of you are asking about Hibiki, all answers to those questions will be put after the review responses.**

Msmusicful: I was thinking that if they knew, it would break them. Maybe I'll have them learn slowly…

Nexus Infinity: I underlined it this time. :D She might, if enough people are okay with her showing up. Usually, I view Eri and Nozomi in a S&amp;M relationship. Eri is the S.

anto334: It references the other stories, but all of their dreams stop before the good ending of it, just to get a bit of feels in there.

cielo oscuro: The "Maki" android has renamed herself as Hibiki.

Revengermajestyliberator: Maki is descended among Niko's line. The rest, I haven't decided yet. However, the Nishikino name is no longer in use except for the hospital because the youngest member of that family passed before she could have children. Honoka never had children either, but maybe Yukiho did. Who knows?

MiloMilkshake: I highly suggest you read Eternal first. :D

S3C0NDG0D: I might just do that. Create some drama.

Enya Talisman: I'm sorry for making it more confusing. I was just thinking, if Niko was a model, she would travel the world, and one of the places she would have stopped at would be Italy. But mostly it was because I dreamed it.

GAT-X105VividPanzer: I once had a dream where Nozomi and Eri forgave me for something. Not sure what they forgave me for. Or why it happened.

**Hibiki did not reactivate. Her original body (the copy of Maki's) was destroyed shortly after she deactivated herself as there was no way to charge her anymore. However, the girls of Muse did achieve the impossibility of giving her a soul, which allowed her to go to the afterlife. She now serves a higher power (I don't believe in any one religion, but I'm pretty sure there's something up there watching us.), who she convinced to let Muse live again. She chose her own name because she was an echo of Maki.**

**Also, the tarot card deck Eri was using? It's the one Nozomi used in her first life. She took such good care of that deck that it ended up getting passed down until it reached Eri again.**

**I've been watching Kantai Collection recently. If you know what that is, that's great! If you don't, it's okay. But I took Hibiki's name from that anime and if I do give her an appearance, it will take information from Kantai Collection. I don't know if everyone's okay with that, so I haven't given Hibiki a cameo in the story itself except for her voice-overs at the end of the chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.**

* * *

Honoka woke up in the morning on the floor of her bedroom. Groaning slightly, she sat up and looked at her bed. Umi was still asleep, wrapped tightly in Honoka's blankets. She looked in the other direction, wondering if someone else had spent the night as well. Rin snored lightly, her back against Hanayo's as the two continued to sleep. The ginger thought back to the previous night, trying to figure out how many individuals were in her house. Sometimes they managed to fit all nine of them in the building, if they made use of Yukiho's room that is. But as far she could figure, only those three stayed behind. Rin usually was too lazy to go all the way back across town to her home and Hanayo preferred staying wherever Rin was if she was closeby. Honoka figured Umi just got too tired to go back home and instead crashed at her place, something the bluenette did often. No matter whose place they hung out at, Umi would crash there if she could. The only places she hadn't crashed at were Nozomi's house, because none of them were allowed to, and Maki's house, because she didn't want to cause the family more trouble.

"Oi…Umi-chan, wake up…" Honoka got on her knees and shook the other girl. Judging from how Umi was all wrapped up in her blanket and how badly her body ached, Umi probably kicked her off the bed at some point in the night. "Umi-chan!"

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Umi was startled awake and she sat up in Honoka's bed. For a moment, the bluenette looked confused, as if she didn't know where she was. Then she remembered. "Oh, I'm at Honoka's house." Honoka got to her feet and pulled the blanket away from Umi mercilessly.

"Get up so I can fix the bed." Umi scrambled off of it. Like Rin and Hanayo, Umi was wearing Honoka's extra clothing to avoid getting her school uniform wrinkled. Honoka sighed and set about making the bed while Umi shook the two younger girls awake.

"You two wash up first." Umi said, ushering the half-asleep first years out the door and shut it behind them. Honoka looked up, frowning slightly. Something was off if Umi wasn't going ahead with the younger students.

"What's wrong, Umi-chan? Bad dream?" Honoka tried to sound casual about it as she smoothed out her blankets. Considering the previous day, she probably shouldn't have asked that but it was too late to pretend it was an accident.

"I don't know… I got married to Kotori as part of a play or something but the next thing I knew, I was really married to her!" Honoka sighed. Umi was hopeless at anything close to romantic, which she knew frustrated Kotori to no end. Honoka didn't need a psychic ability, or what Eri called 'spiritual power', to understand what Umi couldn't get through her head, even though the blunette was way smarter than she was.

"Like I said yesterday about everyone's dreams. They're dreams, Umi-chan! It's not real!" Honoka said, flicking Umi on her forehead. The other girl yelped and held her forehead.

"I-I know that!" Umi protested.

"Then let's go wash up. We still have school today, remember?"

* * *

"Ah…so tired…" Honoka complained as she sat with Umi and Kotori under the shade of a tree. She opened her bread bag and took a bite out of it. Next to her, Kotori passed Umi a lunch box, which the blunette took happily. Honoka had been tempted before to tell Umi that Kotori making bentos for her was a sign of love but she preferred to see how it played out on its own. She had her own lunch time deal as well, after all. She brought lunch everyday but still ate the bread she could buy at the cafeteria instead of her parent's homemade lunch. She had to do it that way, or else Maki would not take her lunch.

"Thanks for the food." Honoka said when she was finished with her bread. She stood up and took her boxed lunch with her.

"Going to find Maki-chan again?" Kotori asked.

"You know it! See you later." Honoka waved and walked away, off on her mission. There were plenty of places Maki could be at, and the red-head made a point of changing the place she hid with each lunch period. It had almost become a game between the two of them, though Honoka always gave it her all to find Maki before the lunch period ended. If she didn't, she had a feeling Maki would go through the day without any sort of food. "Let's see…yesterday she was at the club room…so…" Honoka walked up to the rooftop. Hanayo and Rin were together there, eating lunch. She closed the door before they noticed her and went back down to the main building. She stood at the foot of the stairs, wondering where Maki could have gone. The music room was out since Maki had already hid there this week, and she was at the club room yesterday, and the rooftop was just crossed off. Honoka decided to check the Student Council room. If anything, she could say 'hi' to both Eri and Nozomi.

"I told you she'd find you." Nozomi said, nudging Maki forward. The red-head rolled her eyes and held out her hands, upon which Honoka placed the boxed lunch she had brought. Maki sat down on top of the student council tables and opened the lunch box and started eating. Eri was seated at her desk with stacks of paperwork next to her, and yet the Student Council President was playing with her tarot cards.

"Nozomi." The Vice President, who was actually working, looked up. "These cards…really make me think of you, for some reason."

"That makes no sense. I don't even believe in such things like spiritual power." Nozomi scoffed. "Now get back to work."

"Haiii…" Eri sighed and put the cards away. She pulled the shortest stack of papers to her and started working on them. For a second, Honoka had the feeling like the scene she was seeing was wrong. As if Eri and Nozomi had the wrong personalities. But just as quickly as the feeling came, it went away.

* * *

While she wanted to protect them from their past selves, if they wanted to remember, then they would be allowed to. She had no say in what the original Muse would want and if they wanted to, they could overwhelm the new girls with the past memories. However, seals had been placed to prevent such a thing from happening as past and present lives should never be connected. But Muse was different, and she knew that seals would not hold the sleeping spirits from breaking out for long. She needed a way back to them as soon as she could to protect them, from both the world and themselves.

* * *

**Just saying before you get the wrong idea, the original Muse girls have not turned evil. They just want their original memories in the reincarnated bodies subconsciously but don't want to remember at the same time.**

**If you want Hibiki to appear, then leave a review and she will show up in the story in the next chapter. If not, just say so and she will continue to voice-over at the end of each chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Review Responses**

KevinCruelz: I don't consider myself an atheist, but I'm not in any one religion so I guess that makes me an atheist? I don't know.

Nexus Infinity: I swear I underlined your name. I don't know why it keeps happening.

MiloMilkshake: I'm going to try and make this chapter longer.

Msmusicful: Plus the fact that Eri thinks that Nozomi would handle the cards better says something, doesn't it?

Revengermajestyliberator: I thought that having the originals wanting their reincarnations to live as they did would create a plot for this since it's not really following the anime. Everyone is twisted around, so the energetic are not as energetic, and the normally serious ones are more about having fun. It would make it much more interesting.

GAT-X105VividPanzer: I kind of want to play the game, but the server is in Japanese so I can't play it yet.

Enya Talisman: The original Muse want a second chance to live as they did before. The reincarnated Muse have had their past memories sealed off. Even if Eri is more like Nozomi now, I don't think it has gone so far that Eri will do a washi washi at all.

S3C0NDG0D: Yup, I just drew the name from the anime.

anto334: No worries. Hibiki won't fall in love with Honoka.

**Since almost everyone voted for Hibiki to show up in the story, she will. Starting this chapter, Hibiki will join the cast, though she'll still play more of a background character. If you are not familiar with Hibiki from Kantai Collection, please look it up. She will no longer look like Maki but her personality will be the same as when she was in Eternal.**

**And since Hibiki is a Fleet Girl now, Muse will now take a training camp trip to the ocean. Just saying.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live or Kantai Collection.**

* * *

"It's time for a camping trip!" Eri announced once they were all already gathered at the club room afterschool. "We're leaving tomorrow so get your things ready!" Maki, Umi, Rin, and Hanayo cheered, reacting to the waves of enthusiasm coming from Eri.

"Could you have at least given me a few days notice?" Nozomi wondered. "You know I have to get permission from my parents before I can go anywhere with everyone." Eri looked crestfallen and the blonde sat back down. "But knowing you, you probably made the reservation to use a vacation home with your parents already. I'll give them a call now." Eri perked up immediately as Nozomi left the room to call her parents.

"But why so suddenly, Eri-chan? You do usually ask us if we want to go first." Kotori asked. Umi grabbed Kotori's hand. The blunette's eyes gleamed excitedly.

"Does it matter?! We're going to the beach! The beach!" Once again, Honoka had the sense that something was wrong with her friends' behavior. But they had always behaved that way, based on her memories. Umi and Maki were always the most excitable whenever something new came up. As far as Honoka knew, neither of them had ever seen the ocean.

As they waited for Nozomi to return from her phone call, they all came to the same realization, except for Eri. They pulled out their own phones and dialed their parents' number. While their parents were more lenient than Nozomi's, they still had to inform them of their plans.

"They said it's okay!" Nozomi said, coming back into the room just as the others were finishing up their own phone calls.

"Then…dismissed for today! Meet at the train station tomorrow at 9 AM!" Eri announced.

* * *

Honoka woke up on the floor of her bedroom for the second morning in a row. She sat up, yawning tiredly. On her bed, Maki and Umi slept back to back with each other. She vaguely remembered that she had fallen asleep on the bed next to Umi, but the blunette must have knocked her off the bed at some time during the night again. She checked the time with the clock sitting on her desk.

"Woah…it's already 8:30?" Honoka muttered to herself. Then the reality of the time struck her. "We have to meet at the station in half an hour?! Umi-chan! Maki-chan! Wake up!" She climbed on her bed and shoved the two sleeping girls off onto the floor. She had no time. She quickly fixed her bed after sending the other two off to the bathroom. Thankfully, the two free-loaders had packed up their things the previous night before coming to her house and crashing. She joined them in the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face as quickly as she could even as Umi was slowly brushing her hair out and Maki seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep again.

Somehow, Honoka pushed the two out of the door and they made it to the station at exactly 9:00 AM, according to the clock in the middle of the station. They were the last three to show up. Honoka bent over, her hands on her knees, as she panted. Umi and Maki, on the other hand, were still full of energy.

"Now, you may all be wondering why I announced the sudden camp trip." Eri said, having waited until they were all on the train and off before starting to explain herself. Not that all of them were listening. Rin had fallen asleep as soon as she got on her seat, before the train even left the station. Niko had spent the entire trip so far either in the bathroom or looking miserable in her seat, the motion sickness medicine obviously had no effect. Since she wasn't in her seat…she probably was in the bathroom again. Nozomi gazed out the window with Maki, pointing out landmarks to the obviously excited younger girl. Umi was digging into her lunch, made by Kotori of course, long before it was even time to eat while her best friend watched happily. Honoka wasn't sure where Hanayo had gone, then spotted her across the aisle, playing a hand-held video game.

"Sorry, Eri-chan. No one's listening." Honoka said, hating to cut her friend short. Eri shrugged, seeming relieved that no one was interested in why they were heading out, and pulled out her tarot deck again. She kept looking between her deck and Nozomi, as if continuing her thought that the cards would suit Nozomi better. Not that she'd ever say it out loud though. With nothing better to do, Honoka decided to follow Rin's example and take a short nap.

* * *

_It will happen again. _Honoka wasn't sure who that voice belonged to, but it sounded familiar to her. She looked around but saw only darkness. _I couldn't save her._ A wave of fear washed over her heart, coming not from her, but whoever the voice belonged to._ I caused her death._ She saw Maki lying in a pool of blood, much like how the girl had described her dream. She felt the self-disgust emanating from the speaker. "Who's there?" She finally had the courage to ask. _You should know._ Now that Honoka had spoken, it seemed to have realized she was there. She could feel it, the regret and sorrow and despair, coming from all around her. _Protect her…please._

* * *

"Honoka?" Maki was shaking her awake. The red-head stepped back as Honoka opened her eyes. She wondered who that voice belonged to. "Honoka…you're crying…" She reached up and felt the skin below her eyes. Her fingertips came away wet. She could still feel the sorrow and despair from the voice, in her chest.

"It was just my dream." Honoka said, pushing off any concerns Maki had for her. "Are we at the villa? Is that why you woke me up?"

"Yeah. The train is slowing down so I thought I'd better wake you up before it got to the station so we could all get off." Fortunately, Maki was used to Honoka brushing her off and never questioned why. When they were children, Honoka's pride as the older child wouldn't let her tell Maki what was wrong at times and Maki stopped trying after a while.

"Thanks, Maki-chan." Honoka grabbed her bag from where it sat on the floor by her feet and followed Maki to where the other girls were waiting. The strange but familiar voice still troubled her but like always, Honoka pushed it aside to keep the mood of her group up.

"I have been waiting, Ayase-sama." A young girl with ice blue hair and eyes was waiting in front of the train exit for them. From her looks and school uniform, Honoka would have guessed that she was only fourteen years of age. So young, and to be working for the Ayase family in such a way…

"This is the Fleet Girl, Hibiki." Eri said. The young girl bowed politely. "She has been given to my family to maintain for the time being." Fleet Girls were a new class of androids that were still in the process of being made. They would replace the navies of all the countries, since they would be easier to maintain and take up less room. However, no android ever created had their own personalities, though they were trying to grant that to the Fleet Girls. Even the first android, created by Kousaka Honoka, had no personality of her own. Or so Honoka had read, as the only information about the very first android was that it was made by her namesake. She never learned about what happened to the robot.

"So this is a Fleet Girl…" Maki said in awe, looking at the android from all angles, though the robot showed no concern about being viewed in such a way.

"I am the second ship of the Akatsuki Class of Destroyers." Hibiki said as a form of self-introduction. "Please take care of me from now on until my sisters are made."

"What does she mean by sisters?" Honoka whispered into Eri's ear.

"Sister ships, as in ships of the same class." Eri whispered back. "I think." Not much information remained about the World Wars of the past, other than they were never to be repeated ever again. The group followed Hibiki out of the train station and up the hill to where the beachside villa was waiting for them.

"Aw…it looks like rain is coming…" Maki noted, looking out at the ocean, where dark clouds were heading their way.

"Yeah…Guess we'll have to wait and see if we can even play tomorrow." Honoka commented, taking a hold of Maki's hand and leading her on as the red-head had stopped to stare at the clouds, almost as if she were transfixed by them.

"Hey, do you think it'll come here?" Maki was still looking at the clouds as she spoke.

"Most likely." Honoka responded. Maki fell silent after that and just kept pace with Honoka the rest of the way, not letting go of Honoka's hand.

* * *

"I'm going back to the dock." Hibiki made this announcement as rain lashed against the glass windows of the villa.

"It's too dangerous! Just stay inside tonight!" Rin shouted, trying to convince the younger girl.

"Don't worry, Rin. By dock, she means her allotted room in the house." Hibiki nodded at Eri's statement and left the room silently. They had decided they would sleep together in the same room, so no one would feel alone in such a large house. The doors were shut and the lights on, as none of them wanted to go to sleep yet. Maki kept looking at the glass windows fearfully. Umi eyed the closed doors warily. And Eri went around the room, installing night lights wherever she could.

Then the worst possible thing happened. Lightening flashed and thunder boomed and the whole room was thrown into darkness as the power stopped. Even the nightlights Eri had just spent minutes plugging in were not working.

"All right, nobody panic! I'm gonna call and see if everyone's okay!" Honoka shouted. "Nozomi-chan!"

"Here, Honoka-chan!" Nozomi called from somewhere to her right. "Uwah, Eri-chi, get off!"

"Niko-chan!"

"Over here!" Niko's voice came from the left. "No, Eri! When Nozomi tells you to get off of her, it doesn't mean come to me!"

"Rin-chan!"

"Here nya!" Rin responded. "Ow! I think someone just pushed me over nya!"

"Hanayo-chan!"

"I'm here, Honoka-chan!" Hanayo called out. "I think it was Maki-chan, Rin-chan!"

"Kotori-chan!"

"I'm here!" Kotori responded. "It's okay, Umi-chan…"

"Fear of lightening?!"

"H-H-Here…" Maki's voice seemed muffled, as if she was hiding under a blanket.

"Fear of darkness?!"

"H-Here!" Eri shouted, her voice higher-pitched from fear.

"Claustrophobia?!" There was a small whimper. "Okay, we're all here still. That's better than nothing." Another flash of lightening came and lit up the room for a brief second. Eri looked relieved for that moment while Maki cowered deeper within her blanket.

"We should all try to get to sleep anyway. Niko-chi, you and I have Eri-chi. Rin-chan and Hanayo-chan, get Maki-chan to calm down. Same goes to Honoka-chan and Kotori-chan with Umi-chan." Nozomi said, taking charge of the situation.

* * *

_I am waiting._ Honoka knew she was dreaming. Once again, the presence was with her. She had decided that the presence was a female, from the inflection of the voice. "Who are you?" She asked again. _You should know._ Again, the answer was the same. Did she hear the slight tease in the voice, or was it just the way the voice always sounded? Honoka decided to try something different. "What are you?" _I don't know._ Now Honoka was stumped. "Why are you in my dreams?"_ I don't know._ "Do you have something to tell me?" _Don't get too attached to Maki ._ "Why not?"_ It will happen again._ Before Honoka could ask another question, she woke up.

* * *

_Unbelivable._ Umi frowned in her dream. _I am not claustrophobic._ "Well, I am." Umi retorted. The presence pulled away from her for a bit before returning._ Are you still friends with Honoka?_ "Of course I am." Umi muttered. The presence had been asking that question at least once every time she felt it in her dream. _Keep it that way. _The presence released her and Umi's mind wandered into another dream.

* * *

_Is everyone still okay?_ "What do you mean?" Kotori asked. _Nobody's fighting, right?_ "Well, no." _That's a relief. _Kotori and the presence both fell silent. "Hey, who are you anyway?" _You should know._ Kotori didn't get to continue talking with whatever was there as she got placed back into her dream before the presence interrupted.

* * *

_Those cards don't belong to you._ Eri sighed. The presence with her in her dreams always told her that. "I know, they were my ancestors." _Give them back. Be the leader you are supposed to be._ "I'm only Student President because Honoka campaigned for me. I don't actually want my position." _I can't accept that._ "Well, it's not your life, is it? It's mine." _Your life and my life are the same._ This was what confused Eri the most, but as always, the presence refused to talk any further. Eri wandered the darkness of her dream until she woke herself up.

* * *

_My spiritual power will cleanse your soul._ "You sound too much like Eri-chi." Nozomi pointed out. _Eri-chi sounds too much like me._ Nozomi sighed. Here, in the darkness, she was alone except for the presence. _Believe in the power of the spirits. Take your power back._ "I don't believe in that. Only Eri-chi does." Nozomi scoffed. She felt overwhelming sadness from the presence and it retreated from her, letting her escape to the conscious world again.

* * *

_I want to be an idol. _"We are idols." Niko said. It felt a bit weird, just sitting in darkness, talking to something she couldn't see. _Right now, you aren't. No practice. Only fun. That's not what Muse is._ "It is what we are! Leave us alone!" Niko shouted. The presence was getting on her nerves. _Muse is not like this._ The presence faded away.

* * *

_What's your favorite food? Mine is rice._ "I don't really like rice that much…" Hanayo said hesitantly. At first, being alone in such a dark place with only a voice had been scary, but now, she was used to it. _You have to like rice._ "I don't have to do anything." She responded unhappily. _No, you don't. But I do._ Hanayo felt the presence wind around her before it flitted away, leaving her to her dreams again.

* * *

_I like you._ Rin grinned. When she had first found herself alone, she hadn't realized it was a dream. But the presence didn't seem to be malicious to her. "I like you too nya." _Being in Muse…is fun, right?_ "It's lots of fun!" _I'm glad…_

* * *

_Don't let it happen again._ "Don't let what happen again?" Maki was confused. The presence wasn't telling her anything. _I don't want to leave everyone again._ The girl sighed and sat down to listen. If she stayed quiet enough, maybe the presence would tell her something. _Please, be careful._ Maki realized too late that the presence had left her.

* * *

**I'm pretty sure that the true identity of the presences are fairly obvious but I'll explain that next time if you still don't understand.**

**Please leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Review Responses**

Revengermajestyliberator: Rin is the only on good terms with her past life because in her first life, there wasn't anything that she regretted.

Nexus Infinity: It's no longer following the anime at all…

MiloMilkshake: Thank you.

Enya Talisman: I think I'm going to end each chapter with a dream from each girl.

GAT-X105VividPanzer: Most likely whimpering along in fear.

S3C0NDG0D: Hibiki isn't haunting them. The voices are them from the past.

KevinCruelz: Basically, they are hearing the voices of themselves from their first life. More details below.

anto334: Here's the next chapter.

**Past to Reincarnations Messages**

**Honoka (past) was trying to warn Honoka (reincarnation) not to get too close to Maki or else everything she went through would happen again. Honoka (past) believes that Maki will die again and is trying to preserve the friendships with the other girls instead. Honoka (reincarnation) just wants to enjoy her high school life with her friends without worry.**

**Umi (past) regrets distancing herself from Honoka (past) and doesn't want to do that again. Umi (reincarnation) is more interested in having fun and enjoying life than worrying about the future.**

**Kotori (past) doesn't want anyone to fight or separate again, nor does she want to leave them. Kotori (reincarnation) shares the sentiment but she can't understand why she is constantly asked the question.**

**Eri (past) wants Eri (reincarnation) to be the President she can be. Eri (past) also wants the cards returned to the rightful owner, where she thinks they belong. Eri (reincarnation) wants to continue using the spiritual power and the cards. She doesn't want the responsibility of being a leader.**

**Nozomi (past) wants to be free-spirited again, not being tied down by seriousness. Nozomi (reincarnation) only sees her duty and responsibility.**

**Niko (past) hadn't given up on becoming an idol, even after everyone split up. Niko (reincarnation) isn't as driven to become an idol.**

**Hanayo (past) is just confused as to why Hanayo (reincarnation) doesn't like rice. There is no real meaning behind their interaction.**

**Rin (past) was the only one completely satisfied with her life and just wants Rin (reincarnation) to live just with just as much satisfaction.**

**Maki (past) is afraid of leaving everyone again and having the friendships break down. Maki (reincarnation) is willing to listen but Maki (past) doesn't want to say too much.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live or KanColle**

* * *

Hibiki paced in her room. "If the spirits continue speaking…" She couldn't let it happen. Somehow, she would have to stop the spirits of the past Muse from trying to communicate with their reincarnations. She could sense them at work as the present Muse slept. If it continued, then the two conciousnesses would meld into one and the past memories would overflow into the reincarnations. None of the spirits meant any harm but if the girls found out about what happened before, what would stop them from believing it would happen again? Their spirits would be crushed. She would not let it happen, but the spirits wouldn't believe her unless they saw it for themselves. That's how Muse acted, as a whole.

* * *

"So everyone dreamt of darkness and a voice? It wasn't just me?" Hanayo asked as they were cleaning up their sleeping area. "That's a relief."

"What did yours say? Mine told me to protect someone, but it didn't say who." Honoka said, deciding against the part that warned against getting too close to Maki.

"Mine told me to eat more rice." Hanayo shrugged. "I didn't really understand why though."

"The voice asked me if I was still friends with you." Umi said, addressing Honoka. "It's obvious that we are, right?"

"Yeah. Of course we are." Honoka responded.

"Mine was similar to Umi-chan's but it asked about whether we were fighting or not." Kotori put in, having overheard the conversation.

"I don't want them!" Nozomi shouted at Eri.

"Your dream said to take your spiritual power back right?! Mine said to give these to their rightful owner! It has to be you!" Eri shouted back, thrusting the tarot card deck at Nozomi. Nozomi raised her right hand and slapped Eri across the face. The blonde dropped her cards and they fluttered to the floor.

"I said I don't want them!" Nozomi yelled, her chest heaving with the effort it had taken to slap Eri. But the other girl wasn't listening as she bent down to pick up the cards quickly, as if they were a precious treasure. Nozomi stared down at her friend, then turned away from her. "I'll make breakfast." She hurried away to the kitchen. A few seconds after she entered, Niko was kicked out of the kitchen.

"What's her problem?" Niko muttered unhappily.

"It's my fault…" Eri mumbled, finally having sorted the cards back into the stack they belonged in. "We were talking about dreams and…" She explained the dreams she and Nozomi had to Niko, or at least, the part they had argued over.

"You should know by now that Nozomi wouldn't appreciate things like that. Even if her dream told her to take her power back." Niko said, reprimanding Eri.

"But you can sense it too, right?" Eri asked, looking up at Niko. "That I'm not supposed to keep these." She stood up, gingerly touching her cheek with her free hand.

"T-That's true but still…" Niko sighed. Now that she had been kicked out, she doubted that Nozomi would let her back into the kitchen until the other girl had calmed down a bit.

Honoka was worried about Eri and Nozomi. The two of them weren't on the best of terms since their interests and disinterests took them in opposite directions. Honoka befriended both of them and both were important to the group as a whole, so she didn't want them to fight. But she couldn't argue with Eri that the cards did feel like they belonged to Nozomi.

"Honoka…" Maki and the other first years had finished cleaning up. Honoka hadn't noticed Maki approaching her and backpedaled instinctively, the voice ringing in her head. The red-head followed, closing the space between them. "Honoka, why are you backing away from me?" Honoka had no answer. How could she tell one of her childhood friends that her dream warned her to stay away? But she didn't get the chance to answer. Maki, used to not getting answers, gave up and left Honoka alone for the time being.

* * *

Hibiki screamed, a long drawn out wail. Her soul could not control the body of the fleet girl for long, the robot would get overwhelmed. She needed Honoka to make a body for her again, or better yet, if all of Muse worked together worked together to make her a new body. She didn't want to destroy this young robot but she couldn't be born into the world as a human. Her boss had permitted her to exist as a robot again to control the spirits of the past Muse, but she wasn't allowed to be human yet. But the spirits were already having an effect on the reincarnated children. She could feel their moods: Nozomi's self-conflict over the cards, Eri's guilt for pressuring her friend, Maki's unhappiness, and Honoka's self-disgust. They would begin to move faster, and so would she need to, to save them from themselves.

* * *

The blackness swallowed her, even though Honoka was sure she was still awake. The presence grabbed a hold of her arm, and while they were in contact, Honoka could see the faint outline of the presence's hand._ Come with me._ Honoka had no say in where the presence wanted to take her, her voice had been silenced. Suddenly she saw herself, in a large hall. At the end, behind the 'Honoka' was an open coffin. In front of 'Honoka' was the rest of her friends, all grown up slightly. _This is what will happen._ Honoka turned to the presence, and was able to see it for the first time. A young woman wearing a lab coat streaked with motor oil stood next to her. "You-" The woman put a finger to her lips and pointed at the scene in front of them. Honoka watched, though she still was aware of the presence. There was no sound, but Honoka understood the gist of what was happening. 'Honoka' said something, looking excited, but the rest of the girls seemed to reject her idea. One by one, they left, until 'Honoka' was alone with the coffin. _I shouldn't have made the mistake of trying. _The spirit said, and they were enshrouded by darkness again. "T-That was- You are-" She felt a sense of waiting from the spirit, waiting to be acknowledged.

"Don't!" Maki bowled her over. Honoka blinked, but they were still in the dark space. The presence, having lost its grip on Honoka, had faded again.

"Maki-chan? But this is my dream, how-" But Maki put a hand over Honoka's mouth, silencing her.

"Wake up, Honoka. Don't listen to the voice. Don't acknowledge it." Maki's violet eyes turned ice blue as she stared into Honoka's eyes. "This is your life. Don't let the past control you." Maki, or whoever it was, shoved Honoka and she stumbled forward, once again in the living room.

* * *

Nozomi was frying eggs on the stove, trying to come up with a way to apologize appropriately to Eri for slapping her. She had overreacted, though she still felt that the blonde had deserved it for not listening to her. But when the blackness came, she hadn't been prepared. _Why do you reject me?_ The presence sounded sad, but Nozomi felt no pity for something that had just abducted her mind. "I'm not rejecting you. You're still here, aren't you?" _I am here because you are here. We are connected._ "That's not making any sense." Nozomi scoffed. _Then let me show you._ She couldn't move. The shadows receded and she found herself in an unfamiliar apartment. _This is where I lived_. The door to the apartment opened, and a young child of elementary school age let herself in. The child was crying, and there was no one there to comfort her. Nozomi wanted to step forward but the presence held her back. For the first time, the presence became visible to her, a woman slightly older than she was. _This is how I lived._ The child went into her room and came back out, a bunch of cards clutched tightly to her chest. The young child climbed onto the chair next to the table and started sorting out the cards. _The cards were my everything. Reject them, and reject yourself._ Nozomi was thrown back into the darkness, the presence vanished from view again. "I- You-" She couldn't find the words but the presence seemed to be waiting to be acknowledged.

"Nozomi!" Eri shouted, running up to her. Was it just her imagination, or were Eri's eyes a lighter blue than normal?

"E-Eri-chi?" She said in shock. She could feel the presence getting upset, and pushed the blonde away. "Be careful! There's something here!"

"I know!" Nozomi was shocked as Eri wrapped her in a hug. "But please! Don't listen to her!" She raised her arms to hug Eri back, but found herself in the kitchen again. The eggs were charred beyond saving, much to her disappointment.

* * *

Eri paced the hall just outside the door to the kitchen, unable to come up with a way to apologize to Nozomi. She closed her eyes to think better as she continued to walk, but when she opened them again, she was surrounded by shadows again. _The wealth you possess doesn't belong to you._ Eri was fed up with the presence. "First you say my cards don't belong to me and now you're telling me that the wealth that my family has doesn't belong to me?!" _It doesn't. I didn't want the wealth. Let me show you…_ She found herself standing in front of the hospital her family owned in Tokyo, only this was before the Technological Revolution. _There we are._ The presence took her hand and became visible enough to point at a group of teenagers a few feet away. _This is the Nishikino family Hospital._ The presence said, ignoring Eri's confused look at her. _The heir of the hospital was Nishikino Maki._ She wanted to ask, but her voice wouldn't work. _When the heir died, it went to Kousaka Honoka. _ Each of the girls named seemed to light up as their name was called, but the teenagers didn't seem to notice anything strange. _Honoka gave everything to me._ Shadows fell on the scene and Eri was left alone in the darkness again. _I didn't want it but I couldn't refuse a friend._ "You- You are-"

"Eri-chi!" Eri's attention turned to the person calling her name. Nozomi ran towards her, her twin tails blowing out behind her.

"Nozomi!" Eri held her arms open and Nozomi ran into them, full of warmth. The presence seemed to be conflicted. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to protect you!" Nozomi said, turning to look around them. Her emerald eyes turned ice blue as she focused on a particular section of darkness.

"N-Nozomi?" Eri was scared.

"Don't listen to her. It doesn't matter what she says. This life belongs to you, Eri-chi." Nozomi gave Eri a playful nudge and the blonde found herself in the hallway again. The smell of something burning was in the air and she opened the kitchen door to investigate.

* * *

Maki was getting used to the darkness. Of course she knew who was with her, she wasn't an idiot. "I'm…going to die soon, aren't I?" _I hope not._ "I know. I don't want to go either." _I want to have fun with everyone more and more._ "I want that too. But I'm not the only one with someone like you, right?" The presence was silent for a bit. _No._ "Is everyone like you? Wanting us to enjoy life the way we are right now?" _I don't know._

"Maki-chan?!" Honoka was calling for her and Maki took her attention off the spirit for a little while. The older girl was headed her way slowly.

"Honoka, what are you doing here?" Maki asked in confusion. She should have been the only one in here, that's what the spirit told her.

_Please do not fear me. I will not hurt the child._ The presence seemed to plead. Honoka turned her attention to the spirit. "Let me commune with you." _If that is what you wish._ Maki looked between the girl in front of her and where she thought the spirit was, completely lost. "…I believe you." Honoka concluded. Relief seemed to emanate from the presence. "See you, Maki-chan." Just as Honoka had appeared from nowhere, she now disappeared. But for a brief moment before she disappeared, her normally sky blue eyes lost some of its color until it became an ice blue shade. _I suppose you must go and see Honoka._ Maki didn't protest and she was released from the shadows.

* * *

**If any of this is confusing at all, please send me your questions and I will answer them in the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Review Responses:**

Nexus Infinity: And the conflict starts to get resolved...slowly...

anto334: Hibiki is trying to stop the spirits from overwhelming the girls. But the robot Hibiki is inhabiting does not belong to her. She still doesn't have a body of her own.

S3C0NDG0D: 1) Yes.

2) I have no plan to.

3) Most likely not.

Revengermajestyliberator: You are absolutely correct, except for the dreaming part. Read for Hanayo's dream.

KevinCruelz: The one trying to wake them up is Hibiki.

MiloMilkshake: I hope you didn't have to wait too long. ;)

**The Honoka, Maki, Nozomi, and Eri that show up inside the wrong dreams are all Hibiki, as evidenced by the change of eye color. The dreams overwhelm them only when they are feeling negative emotions, which the spirits use to try and divert them back on the path they (the spirits) want them to. Hibiki is there to prevent that from happening, as she thinks the reincarnations should be allowed to decide what they want to do.**

**I wrote this chapter and the previous chapter while listening to Kokoro on repeat and then watched a PV of it so…that's why Hibiki's android body is rejecting her soul. At this point, the only body she'd be able to truly inhabit would have to be made by Honoka, because that was what she started out as.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.**

* * *

Hibiki couldn't move any part of her body anymore. She had no choice but to release the Fleet Girl she had possessed so the poor thing could recover. For now, she could bind herself to the villa while Muse stayed there, and follow them back to Tokyo if need be. In short, she would have to become a ghost to continue watching over them.

* * *

"Nozomi!" Eri didn't hesitate anymore and pushed her way into the kitchen. Nozomi was just throwing away the charred eggs and she looked up from where she was bent over the trash can, scraping the frying pan clean of the blackened substance.

"Eri-ch-" Eri didn't let Nozomi finish her sentence as she gave the purple-haired girl a hug.

"I'm sorry!" Nozomi was shocked by the sudden apology offered to her by Eri. "I'm sorry, Nozomi!" The blonde was shaking, with tears, Nozomi realized. She smiled softly and stroked Eri's blonde locks gently.

"I'm sorry too, Eri-chi." She returned apologetically. "I-I'll take the cards…"

"O-Oh, right…" Eri reached into her pocket and pulled out the deck of tarot cards. "Here, Nozomi!" The blonde grinned, holding the cards out for Nozomi to take. The purple-haired girl took a hold of the cards and felt power rush into her fingertips. "Though, just saying, I never felt the spiritual power. I just said that because I thought it sounded cool~"

"Mm-mm." Nozomi shook her head, meeting Eri's confused gaze. "It exists. I can feel it now." Tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you, Eri-chi…"

"Whoa, Nozomi! Don't cry!" Eri hugged Nozomi again, thankful that she was slightly taller. It was enough to be able to rest her head on top of Nozomi's as the other girl cried into her chest.

"I-I'm not c-crying! T-The tears…why won't they stop?!" Nozomi wailed, clutching the cards close to her chest. _I'm so happy…_ The voice was audible by both girls as they blinked and looked around.

"Nozomi, did you say that?" Eri asked. Nozomi shook her head, recognizing the voice. But she wasn't dreaming, so how could she hear the voice? _Now I can be like Rin-chan, no regrets or unhappiness._ "Nozomi?"

But Nozomi couldn't hear Eri. She saw the outline of the presence that had been her companion in the darkness. "I'm glad…Nozomi." The outline bowed her head and smiled happily, before fading from view.

"What are you talking about?" Eri asked, finally getting Nozomi's attention.

"Nothing~!" Nozomi said, teasingly. "Now help me make breakfast~!"

"Eh?!"

* * *

Hibiki sat on the roof, having abandoned the body of the Fleet Girl before she accidentally destroyed it. Rin and Nozomi sat by her side. _We can still talk to them, right nya?_ "Of course you can, but only in dreams. And no bad messages that could crush their spirits." _What if it's to protect them from a future event? _"If we try to interfere, we would only find that interfering is what would cause the event. Like in Oedipus Rex." _That play was so boring, nya…_ Hibiki giggled, along with Nozomi. _I hope everyone can join us soon nya!_ "I would like that too." Maki peered at them from behind the chimmeny. "Come over here, Maki." _Oh, are you done with your job? _Maki shook her head as she took a seat next to Nozomi. _But I think I'm getting there. Maki knows what happened to me and she doesn't want it either. The best thing we can do is wait it out, right?_ "You're right, Maki." Hibiki stared up at the sky. "Beautiful weather today."

* * *

Niko spent the time after breakfast hunting down and catching each member of Muse. She decided to heed the words of the presence. She did want to become a school idol and participate in Love Live after all.

"This is our training menu for the rest of our trip!" Niko shouted, pointing at the pie chart she had drawn out. "We're not practicing enough to perform in Love Live!" Some of the girls made faces and were about to leave when Eri stood up.

"She's right!" The blonde said, walking to the front next to Niko. "It's time to remember who we are! We're Otonokizaka's school idol group, Muse!"

"Um, it's not that we forgot…" Umi said slowly, wanting to run away from the practice. If there was anything she was proud of, it would be her ability to run away quickly. If she made a dash for it, they wouldn't catch her for a while. She ran, but into darkness.

* * *

_Why do you run?_ Umi was scared now. The voice intimidated her and the constant darkness made her feel like she was in a small enclosed space. Her breathing rate increased with her pulse as she cowered in fear. _Fight your fear. We are stronger than what we fear._ Umi shook her head. She wasn't strong at anything. _Keep telling yourself that and you won't become strong. If you run…_ The darkness faded but she wasn't at the beach with her friends anymore. Now she was in a hallway, watching a trio of young woman. It was an older Honoka, Kotori, and herself. Behind her, the presence watched as well. _…this will happen._ She watched as the older her slapped Honoka hard enough so that the ginger fell against a wall. The older Kotori seemed to be trying to reason with Umi but the older Umi wasn't listening. She watched as her older self turned and walked away from her friends. _I ran away that day instead of standing with Honoka._ The scene became black again. _What will you do?_ "What should I do?" She laughed, to push back the fear that was threatening to suffocate her. "I'm not running from my friends." _Then you will do the training?_ "Hell yeah. Bring it on." Umi strode forward through the darkness and came out on the beach again. She almost missed the last message the presence said. _Then…good luck._

* * *

She was lying on the sand. Kotori noticed when she awoke and shouted to the others before returning her attention to Umi.

"Umi-chan, you fainted!" Kotori helped her to a sitting position.

"I'm fine, Kotori." Umi said, brushing off Kotori's concerns. She stood up and walked over to the training menu. "Now everyone, let's begin!"

* * *

_Good work, Umi-chan._ Umi remained standing, choosing not to sit. Hibiki stared out over the ocean. "Do you think Umi would be able to make the decisions she needs to stay with everyone?" _If she makes a mistake, then I'll be there to correct her. That's why we're still around, right?_ Hibiki grinned. "Good answer, Umi." The most problematic spirit was still out there, and she wouldn't be satisfied unless the others were first. "Rin, do you think you can talk to Hanayo for us?" _You mean, go into her dream and speak to her instead of her spirit nya?_ "Yeah. Is that possible?" _I don't know nya. I've never tried._ "Or I could go instead. Yeah, I think I'll go and have a talk with Hanayo." _I bet you would appear as Rin._ Maki laughed as Rin's face heated up with a blush. _Now, now. Teasing is my job, remember?_ Maki made a mock bow to Nozomi, exaggerating her movements as much as she could. _I'm sorry, O Great Nozomi-sama._ Then all of them were laughing.

* * *

"I'm so tired!" Hanayo fell down in the sand, not even caring if she got dirty. She was already so sweaty from the stretches they just did. She wished she could be playing her video games instead as she closed her eyes. She regretted it upon opening her eyes to find only darkness again. But she couldn't sense the presence this time.

"Kayo-chin." Rin stepped out from the shadows and into Hanayo's range of sight.

"Rin-chan, what are you doing here?" Hanayo asked. As far as she had known, only the presence appeared in the shadowy world of her dreams.

"I'm here to release you nya." Rin's eye color changed to icy blue and Hanayo took a step back.

"Y-You're not Rin-chan!" Rin took a step forwards, arms outstretched.

"No, I'm not. But trust me. I'm here to help you." Not-Rin said. A presence joined them, but it wasn't the one Hanayo was used to. All around the two of them, small video-like screens formed, each showing a different scene. However, all of them had the same two people. They were eating ice cream together, playing in a sandbox together, doing homework together, joining Muse together. All around her, Hanayo saw herself and Rin as children, then growing up together, rarely apart. "This is what you were before. She doesn't want you to become something different."

"Who's this 'she' you're talking about?" Hanayo asked, not taking her eyes off the screens.

"Rin, of course. She's waiting for you still." Not-Rin said. "What do you want to do?"

"Rin-chan is my best friend." New determination shone in Hanayo's eyes. "What do you think I'm going to do, Not-Rin?"

"That's not my name…" Not-Rin grinned anyway. "I wish you luck, and so does Rin." Hanayo closed her eyes, knowing that when she opened them again, she would be back in her reality.

* * *

_Kayo-chin!_ Rin got up from her seat and tackle-glomped her best friend, happy to see her again. "Thanks for the assist, Rin." Hibiki said, taking her seat again. "Now just four more to go." _I told you she would show up as Rin in Hanayo's dream._ Rin pouted as Maki and Nozomi high-fived each other. _You know…I still wish she would eat more rice…_ The other girls stared at Hanayo in shock._ D-Don't worry, I won't go back to her just for that!_ "Who should we try to get next? Eri?" _I think Eri-chi is close to joining us. She's stepping up and becoming more leader-like now._ "Then Niko? Honoka has to be last." _What about Kotori?_ Umi had spoken up for the first time. _I'm right here, Umi-chan!_ Kotori smiled as she walked over to Umi. _I'm not worried about Kotori. As long as we're not fighting, then Kotori won't leave._ "That leaves three more spirits to free."

* * *

**I have no idea what happened to my original plan of following the anime…but I think this one is more interesting~ :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**Review Responses**

Nexus Infinity: Sorry if it seems like it's moving too fast. I get like this when I'm interested in finishing the story. So far, there's Ayase Eri, Sonoda Niko, Hoshizora Honoka, Yazawa Maki. The rest, their last names haven't been chosen.

KevinCruelz: The spirits of the past Muse are trying to lead them away from the future that they had (except for Honoka, who thinks that the future is invetiable.)

GAT-X105VividPanzer: I can totally imagine that too! XD

ch3n: Maki's not going to die again. That's for sure.

Enya Talisman: It's okay, I did put two chapters for the same story up on the same day.

anto334: Who knows? I haven't planned very far ahead.

**Remember when "Maki" was about to explain something to Honoka in Eternal but you never found out what she said? It's in this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Love Live.**

* * *

"Maki, we need to talk." Maki looked at Eri in confusion. They were on another break because of the lack of practice they had done before starting this new training regime. No one was complaining, however, even though they had never been pushed to work like this. The only one who wasn't energetic about it was Honoka, which bemused the girls. But back to Eri.

"What is it?" Maki asked, shutting out any distractions.

"We can't talk here. Too many people." Eri said, pointing up in the air. Maki nodded and followed Eri back into the house, ignoring the questioning looks of the others.

"So…" Maki said, now that they were away from the rest of Muse.

"How badly do you want to become a doctor?" Eri asked seriously, cutting to the chase. Maki rested her chin on her hands.

"No matter how badly I want to, I can't. My family isn't rich." Maki responded. "You can become a doctor in my place."

"I don't want to be a doctor. Even if I am the heir, I have no wish to run the hospital in the future. That is your future."

"Even if I wanted to, I can't, remember?" Maki said. "I'm not rich. Not anymore." Eri understood what Maki meant by 'anymore'.

"You may not be rich. But I am." Eri said, a smile forming on her face.

"Y-You can't mean-"

"Of course I do. I'm going to pay your college tuition until you become a doctor!" Maki facepalmed. "Don't you think it's a good idea?"

"Well, yeah, I do. But your parents…will they let you do that?"

"They have no choice. Neither I nor Nee-san want the position." Eri shrugged. "What do you say?"

"I have no choice then. I accept." Maki responded and the two girls shook on it. "Thanks, Eri."

"No, it's actually Eri who you should be thanking. I'd been lying to myself, first with the spiritual power, and then with the hospital. It doesn't belong to me." _However, being afraid of the dark does belong to us._ "Wait, so being afraid of the dark was all your fault?!" _I didn't say that._ Maki giggled at the arguing personalities. "Don't laugh Maki!" _Yeah! It's not funny!_

"Sorry, sorry." Maki said, holding her hands up in the surrender position. _Anyway, Eri, let's get going, okay? Nozomi's waiting for you._

"Yeah, wouldn't want to keep you, Eri. Tell her that I'll protect my Nozomi too." _You've got it, Eri. I'm coming, Maki._ The two presences left, leaving Eri and Maki alone again.

"I'll protect 'my' Nozomi?" Maki teased.

"It's a cool line." Eri said. "Of course I'm going to protect her. She's mine."

"So how far have you two gotten to be able to claim her like that?" The red-head asked, a mischevious glint in her eyes.

"That's not what I meant!" Maki ran back outside, laughing, to avoid being hit.

* * *

_Now that Eri's here, Niko's next right? _Hibiki nodded to answer Umi's question. "But the plan's already in operation." _I can't wait until we're all together again._ Ever since coming up to the roof, Eri had been pinned down by Nozomi in a hug. Not that the blonde minded. Maki was perched on the edge of the roof, looking down at the practicing girls. _Does Honoka hate me?_ "There's no way. I think she's just confused. After all, all of you woke up attached to your reincarnations without knowing how you got there and not seeing anyone else until now." _So if we all go down to Honoka as a group…_ "That's why we need to get Niko first." _I understand._

* * *

Niko needed to find an example of what proper idols looked like so her friends would be able to follow their example. _Just be like us! We're Muse, after all!_ She decided to heed the voice of her presence and opened up her laptop and searched up Muse. Video after video showed up, surprising Niko with the sheer amount of songs the school idol group had come up with. "A-Amazing…" _Right? We're really amazing! You can be amazing too!_ "How? I'm nothing like you. I can't even lead everyone the right way." Niko said, captivated by the music videos. _I'm not a leader, Niko. We aren't leaders. But there are those who can be leaders right next to us, if we can send them in the direction they need to go._ "You mean, Eri and Honoka?" _Exactly! Now first, let's make you an idol!_ "E-Eh?! Aren't I an idol already?!" _Just repeat after me! Niko~Niko~Nii~ _"That sounds dumb…" Niko decided to humor her presence anyway. "Niko~Niko~Nii~ …How's that?" _No, you have to do the pose!_ "I can't see you!" _Oh, right…_ Niko sighed. Was she really this hopeless as an idol? _Maybe this? _She felt hands on her arms, moving them into a pose. She could see the hands, and turned her head, managing to catch a glimpse of the presence behind her. _I'll help you. Now, say it!_ "N-Niko~Niko~Nii~!" Niko said, letting the presence move her body along with the words. _See? All idols must have their own individual poses. This one is ours!_ Niko nodded and tried again, this time without assistance. The movement was familiar to her, and she got the feeling that the presence had done it many times. _Now, help everyone else discover their own poses!_ Niko nodded and held out her hand, feeling the presence take it. The outline of a young woman smiled at her as they shook hands. _I wish you luck, Super Idol Niko-Nii._ The woman gave a mock salute and disappeared when she took her hand back. "Super Idol, huh? I like the sound of that." Niko picked up her laptop. "Yos! Let's go!" She ran back out to where her friends were waiting.

* * *

_Niko~Niko~Nii~ Did everyone miss me?!_ Niko was immediately mobbed by the other spirit girls already waiting for her. _Now we can save Honoka, right?_ Maki asked voicing the thought in everyone's heads. "Yeah. Let's go get your leader." Hibiki said, standing up on the roof. "All of you will be needed to come with me. Maki, if you can send Maki into Honoka's dream, that would be good too." _I'll try._ Maki disappeared, headed off to do her job.

* * *

"Why is everyone working so hard all of a sudden?" Honoka asked herself. She had escaped from the clutches of Niko and Eri to stop at a secluded cove a bit down the beach. She sat on the sand and gazed out at the ocean, watching the waves rush to shore. _It would have been better if it had stayed the same, right?_ "Yeah…If we could continue to play like we were when we were little." Honoka closed her eyes and fell back against the sand. "I want to see you. Take me to the shadows." She didn't hear a response but opened her eyes. Once again, she was in the darkness that she had come to know. _I'm here._ Honoka stretched her hand forward until she touched the presence, bring it into view. "Honoka…" To think she was a reincarnation of the scientist she had admired for so long. _If you act now, then I think everyone would go back to what you're used to. They still need a leader, and that's you. _"You're right. I'm their leader, but what good would I do if they're all like that? Especially Maki-chan…" _I told you, remember? If you follow what I did before- _"Maki-chan will die and everyone will leave me. I know." _Then change it so that you aren't following me anymore._

"Don't say that!" Honoka released the presence's hand and turned to the new voice. It was Maki, but with the wrong color of eyes. "I won't let it happen to them!"

_Who…are you?_ Honoka was just as confused as her presence. "Yeah! Who are you?! You're not Maki-chan!"

"You forgot…" The Maki copy said sadly. "Let me help you remember what I am, since I got here first." Not-Maki closed her eyes and light flooded the shadows. They were now in a bedroom, where the older Honoka was sitting with Maki. But Maki had died, that's what she had been shown before. "You regretted so much that you shut it from your memory, Honoka-san." With a start, Honoka realized that she could actually hear the conversation.

"_I now know why I was born." As Honoka continued to stare, Maki started to explain. "You see…I am Maki. Or at least, her love for you and everyone in Muse. That was, is, Maki's last wish when she died, to tell everyone 'thank you'. But I couldn't say it without a body, so I gave you the idea. To make an android in the shape of Maki so that I may talk to you again." _

"_T-Then…Maki-chan…" Honoka was crying, tears streaming down her face._

"_Mm. I love you, Honoka. I love you so much that I tried to come back from the dead to tell you. But I guess I messed up, huh?" Maki said, smiling nervously. "I ended up pushing everyone apart."_

"_It's not over yet. I can still bring everyone together again!" Honoka stood up. "Yeah! I'm gonna do it! Maki, if I die before I do that, can you make sure to tell them one last message from me?"_

"_Huh? What do you mean?"_

"_If we meet again, in our next life, then, at that time, please dance with me again. Tell them that, will you?"_

"_Of course, Honoka. Maki really likes the idea also."_

The vision ended, leaving them in darkness again. _You…_ "Yes, Honoka. I am the echo of Maki, Hibiki. Thanks to you, I was given life, even though I'm artificial."

"You…You're the first android ever created?!" Honoka gasped. Hibiki nodded. "That's…That's so cool!"

_Hibiki! Sorry to be late!_ More presences started showing up, though none of them were visible. _Well, we're all here, except Maki-chan._ Honoka recognized that voice as Kotori's. "I'm sure she's coming." Hibiki said. "Honoka, do you remember your promise now?"

_I wanted…everyone to be together._ The presence grudgingly agreed. _To have fun dancing and singing._

"Honoka!" Another Maki, the real one, came blundering into the darkness of Honoka's dream. Honoka caught her before she fell.

"Maki-chan?! Why are you here?!"

"She brought me!" _Honoka…it's been so long…I can finally see you again…_She could feel the anguish in the new presence's voice. _Maki…I'm sorry…everyone, I'm really sorry…I messed up again…_

"That's not true!" Hibiki said. _She's right nya! _Rin's voice shouted through the darkness. _No one blames you, Honoka. I'm sure everyone can see what you were put through. Now, let's leave the future open for ourselves, shall we?_ Honoka blinked in confusion, still holding onto Maki. _Yeah, we should. I wish you luck, Honoka._ She felt the presence clap her on the back, and saw that she was grinning cheerfully now that the rest of Muse had appeared.

"Wait! If I make a mistake-" _I'll come and set you straight! You can count on that, new me!_ One by one, the presences vanished, until it was just Maki, Hibiki, and herself in the dark space.

"Honoka…I have a favor to ask of you…" The spirit said slowly. "Please, make me a new body. I'll overwhelm any other android. I have to be made by you."

"You know what that means, right Honoka?" Maki said, grinning. "You need to become a scientist again!"

"A-Again?! W-Well, I guess I can do it…" Honoka said, scratching the back of her head. "Maki-chan, you watch me and make sure I don't mess up, okay?"

"Of course I will. What did you think I will do?"

"Thanks, both of you. But, I'm not your priority. Be sure to become the best and win Love Live, okay?" Hibiki faded and the darkness was broken, letting light back in. With a start, Honoka realized she was still hugging Maki.

"You actually came here?" She asked in shock. Maki looked around in surprise.

"No, I followed Maki into the darkness and then I found you. I'm pretty sure I was on the beach with everyone else…"

"MAKI-CHAN! HONOKA-CHAN!"

"That's probably Rin." Maki seemed pretty happy though Honoka was still brooding over what she had to do now. "Hey." Honoka focused on Maki. "We're going to make it, okay?" The red-head flashed her a big smile and tugged her to where Rin was shouting their names.

* * *

Hibiki, along with the rest of the spirits, decided to watch over the girls as they trained to become school idols again. Their inherited skills from the previous life plus their constant training melded together to give them a better performance than the original Muse had ever accomplished. And now they were ready to mount the greatest stage they could, Love Live.

* * *

The nine teenaged girls gathered backstage for one final get-together before they headed on stage for their greatest-and last-performance. Even they had rehearsed and prepared for this one moment their lives, they were still nervous. Something in them told them that it could all either end up badly, or be the best thing they would ever accomplish. One of the teens took a deep breath and made a victory sign with her right hand before lowering it into the center of the huddle. One by one, the others girls followed suit until they had made a nine pointed star with their fingers.

"Everyone, ready?! One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Muse…Second Live…Start!"

"Huh, Honoka, isn't this our first real live? And don't we shout 'Music Start'?" Maki asked.

"It just sounded right~! But everyone followed along with it anyway!" Honoka said, grinning.

"Well, it is our second live." Nozomi said, using a different meaning for live.

"She's right. But let's do it for real." Eri said.

"MUSE…MUSIC...START!"

* * *

**Rin and Hanayo went on to reclaim their restaurant from Honoka. Honoka did become a scientist, working to create more androids with personalities. Maki went to medical school, became a doctor and took over the hospital. (No, she did not die.) Kotori and Umi collaborated with Niko to expand the clothing line. Eri and Nozomi became models for the clothing line that their friends made.**

**There will be one more chapter after this detailing their lives many years into the future. I did not forget Hibiki, you will see what becomes of her in the next chapter.**

**Let's play another game! One of the jobs listed above is the career I plan on pursuing. First person to get it will get a one-shot request!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the delay in updating! I got sick and spent yesterday on my bed. I definitely cannot be a doctor if I fail to recognize when I shouldn't go to school…Turns out I had a fever and had to take another day off from school to rest. Yeesh. I hate missing school. You know, I have a headcanon that Maki's training to become a doctor but can't diagnose herself.**

**And...this is probably why I shouldn't be on my computer right now. Thank you Msmusicful for pointing out the mistake.**

**Review Responses**

Nexus Infinity: I kinda rushed it. I'm sorry.

Msmusicful: And then I'll move on to something else! :D

Revengermajestyliberator: I usually write afterschool, if I have the time.

MiloMilkshake: If you still have any questions after this chapter, feel free to PM me.

Enya Talisman: Reincarnation Niko is more mature than her past self. :3

ch3n: By Kaku sisters you mean Shokaku and Zuikaku, right?

GAT-X105VividPanzer: I'm glad you liked it. :D

anto334: Thank you!

**Game has been decided and the winner has been PM'd for their request. Please look forward to that one-shot.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Love Live.**

* * *

~A Few Years Later~

Maki smiled as she opened up yet another text from Honoka. _Didja get in? :D_ She swiftly typed a response back. _Well, duh. What do you think?_ Her thumb hovered over the send button as she glanced both ways on the busy street. But the light hadn't given her a go sign, so she tapped the send button. She kept one eye on her phone as she started to cross the street. It vibrated, signaling another message. _Party at my place then! XD_ Maki nodded and put the phone to sleep, deciding not to reply until after she had reached the sidewalk. She ran the rest of the way, and just in time. Behind her, a car sped the red light and careened over the crosswalk. A few seconds longer, and Maki would have been caught in an accident. She turned her phone back on, finding another message. _Please tell me you didn't get run over._ Maki laughed. _Of course I didn't. Idiot. I'm on my way._ She tucked her phone in her bag and dashed off to Honoka's home.

* * *

Kotori stood at the airport, all by herself. She checked her phone for the fifth time in the past minute, wondering if someone would come to stop her. Going abroad would be nice, but so would staying with her friends.

"Kotori!" Umi ran into the airport, dodging other passengers and security guards who didn't approve of her running.

"Umi-chan! Why are you here?!" Kotori asked as Umi came within hearing range. "Wait-"

"Hanayo, Rin, and Maki have made it into the same college as the rest of us! Honoka's throwing a party at her place and you need to be there too! Come on!" Kotori smiled hugely.

"Yeah, Umi-chan!" Kotori followed her childhood friend away from the airport. She wouldn't go abroad. She would stay in Japan with the rest of her friends and they would continue to have fun together.

"Congratulations on getting into college!" Honoka shouted, pulling a popper that blew streamers into the high school graduates faces. "Congratulations!" The older girls of Muse echoed cheerfully, raising glasses of what Maki hoped was grape juice. But with Rin and Hanayo nudging her on both sides, Maki found no reason to ruin the celebratory atmosphere they were under.

"Sorry we're late!" Umi called as she and Kotori came in to the party. Maki grinned. They were all together; no one leaving for places the others couldn't follow.

* * *

_Looks like they're having fun. _Honoka commented. _It makes me want to join them._ She sighed, knowing it was impossible for her to do so.

_Why would you do that, when you can have a party with all of us?_ Kotori asked.

_I never thought I wouldn't have died had I not tried to message Honoka as I crossed the street…I was careless. _Maki sighed.

_Eri-chi owes me money now. _Nozomi said, grinning mischeiviously.

_Why is that?_ Niko asked, stuck in the middle between the other two.

_I bet that Honoka would be the one who stopped Kotori from leaving. _Eri responded sullenly. _Because it happened before._

_And I bet that Umi-chan would get Kotori-chan. I win~!_

_Um…I don't want to burst your bubble, but we don't have any money. Or even need money anymore._ Niko said. _You forgot, didn't you?_ She continued, taking in the expressions on her two friends' faces.

_But I still win!_ Nozomi said, refusing to be knocked down by the revelation.

_We can rest now._ Hanayo said, drawing the attention of her friends. _I mean, they've changed from the path we followed. We don't know what will happen to them anymore, so I think it's best for us to just rest now. They don't need us anymore._

_Kayo-chin's right nya. _Rin continued. _It's time for us to leave them behind._

_Alright. Let's go. Hibiki, are you coming with us?_ The artificial spirit shook her head.

_I'm staying here. I'm waiting for Honoka to fulfill my wish._ Honoka smiled and tousled Hibiki's hair.

_You're a good kid, Hibiki. I wish I could have learned that when I was still alive._ Honoka turned to the rest of Muse. _Time for rest._ She walked to the front of the group and led them away from Hibiki. One by one, they faded into nothing, leaving for good.

* * *

Honoka felt a throb in her chest, and judging from the expressions on her friends, they felt the same throb at the same time. She dove into her mind, searching for the presence that had existed within her for years. But she found nothing but her own memories.

"They've left us…" Umi stated, her hand over her heart. "They finally went to rest."

"And they've left the future to us."

* * *

~25 years later~

Maki smiled tiredly as she was handed her newly born child. Honoka and Maka, their first-born child, were by her side the moment the doctor stepped aside.

"Are you okay, Mama?!" Maka cried, stretching up on her toes to reach her mother. The five-year old had inherited Honoka's ginger hair with Maki's violet eyes, along with Honoka's worrying nature.

"I'm fine, Maka." Maki said. "Look, Honoka, it's her." She held the bundle up for her wife to take. Honoka took the bundle and held it gingerly in her arms. A tuft of brilliant red hair had already sprouted, no doubt inherited from Maki, but neither of them could have given her the eye color that the baby possessed. Ice blue eyes gazed upwards, revealing the intelligence and knowledge that she already possessed.

Honoka bent down to her daughter's level. "Look, Maka." The child's attention was drawn and she turned to her other mother. "It's your little sister…Hibiki."

"Hibiki?" Maka paused. "I'm an older sister now?! I'll have to treat her better than Yusa-nee treats me!" Honoka smiled and handed the bundle back to Maki.

"Do you think she likes this?" Maki asked, already starting to nurse her second child.

"I think it beats being a robot." Honoka shrugged.

* * *

**After this, I was thinking about writing an AU Fanfiction where the anime was a documentary about how students were willing to work together to save their school, and the characters were chosen simply because they were students there. But their tv personalities don't match what they actually are in real life. What do you think?**


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